BEDFORD MUSEUM
| BEDFORD MUSEUM |
|
|||||||
MICHAELMAS CRAFT FAIR AT BEDFORD MUSEUM - 7 OCTOBER 2001 : 2.00 to 5.00 p.m.
On Sunday 7th
October, visitors will be invited to purchase and admire a whole host of local
crafts including stained glass, ceramics, candles, paintings and jewellery at
our second Michaelmas Fair. During the medieval period such fairs were extremely
popular, not only because they celebrated both the end of harvest and honoured
St Michael, the second most famous dragon slayer after St George, but also for
the strange custom of the three ‘G’s,’ gloves, geese and ginger.
Every
September the towns which held Michaelmas fairs would suspend a huge leather
glove from the roof of an important building. Reminiscent of the hand of a giant,
the cotton or wood chipped stuffed glove signalled the commencement of the fair.
The glove also represented the handshake of promise between the merchants and
the local nobleman, the latter providing a space and permission to trade, while
in return the former promised to give away part of their profits to a charitable
cause.
The
traditional fair at Michaelmas was the roast goose, the second ‘G.’ It was a
popular belief in the medieval period that whoever ate goose at Michaelmas would
be blessed with good luck throughout the year. Special care was taken in their
preparation. Having been skinned, stuffed and cooked the birds were re feathered,
decorated with autumn fruits and brought to the table with great ceremony. Those
who disliked the taste could either disguise a roast chicken with goose feathers
or fashion a bird out of pastry and marzipan to avoid bad luck.
The
reasoning behind the third ‘G’ ginger has not been clearly defined. It is true
that the herb was widely used in many of the dishes of the day and that physicians
recommended it for stomach and chest illnesses and for protection against infection.
Others believe the trend may have been initiated by a foreign merchant who brought
a boatload of ginger to sell at a Michaelmas fair. A proliferation of foods
followed including the Charwarden desert made with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
and large succulent Warden Abbey pears.
The fair will open from 2 – 5pm and will provide the ideal opportunity to get your Christmas shopping off to an early start!